#OPPY – So what happens when our Junior Sailors compete internationally? Scott Levie, a 14-year old Optimist sailor (pictured above) recounts the experience of the Irish sailors who competed in the Magic Marine Easter Regatta in Braassemermeer, Holland last month.

"Braassemermeer 2012 was a great success. This was my second time going to this event, second time round it exceeded my expectations yet again. The Magic Marine Easter Regatta has been held in Lake Braassemermeer every year for the last 27 years. Every year the sailing is only a fraction of the trip and the experience is priceless. It tests your commitment to sailing.

Have you ever had to wake up at 3.30 am just to go sailing? Our flight was at 6am Tuesday, some from Cork, some from Dublin. The boats were kindly brought over by ferry by the Fagans and the O'Sullivans. We all met up at the club. Everyone was still half asleep unloading the boats. There were flags flying high outside the clubhouse of all the teams that had entered along with the Irish tricolour.

One of the great memories of the trip is the cruiser that we hired for the 7 days that we were in Holland. The main reason we hired the cruiser was for transportation along the canal and from the club to our hotel. The cruiser also acted as our changing room, every morning on our way to the club we would use this time to get changed and briefed by our coaches Thomas and Katie. The cruiser was also a big bonus for the parents and they were able to view the racing from the comfort of the warm cruiser.

The journey along the canals to our hotel was around 20 minutes long. The hotel was beside a big bird park. Every morning there was a buffet breakfast in the restaurant of the hotel. Before and after dinner, and the odd time in the morning, we spent our time in the playground. The playground was like no ordinary Irish playground, NO, this playground featured a big part of the trip. Until 6 o'clock in the evening the Bumper Karts were open. Ronan and I had great fun the girls and some of the lads into the corner of the Bumper Karts. In the playground there was a big zipline that went over a pond! Dougie decided to practice his 'Kilkenny Dance' over the pond and he fell in, but he wasn't the only casualty of the pond, Cliodhna was not so lucky either.

Dinner in the hotel was pretty good, except for the last day when it was amazing.On the last day we were allowed to eat in the Buffet in the restaurant of the Bird Park. It was one of the nicest dinners I had probably ever had in my life.

The sailing had huge ups and down, but 'ah well life goes on, cheese on toast'. It was very tough competition. On the last day we got spilit into Gold, Silver and Bronze.

We had 8 sailors in Gold, 3 in Silver, and 5 in Bronze. Mícheal at 9 years of age made the Silver, I think that is a huge achievement. He could still be in Oppies by the time I'm 21!

I'd like to say a big thank you to the coaches Thomas Chaix and Katie Tingle. They were a fantastic help to us all. I'd also like to thank all the parents, especially Alacoque for organising everything, Last but not least could I thank the Elmes for putting up with me for the great week in Braassemermeer."

Scott Levie is 14 years old and sails in Lough Derg Yacht Club and Kinsale Yacht Club. Also sailing in Braassemermeer were: Ronan Cournane, Cliodhna ni Suilleabhain, and Mícheal o'Suilleabhain, KYC, Daniel Raymond and Peter Fagan, NYC, Colin O'Sullivan MYC, Douglas Elmes, Harry Durcan, Johnny Durcan, Anna Kelly, Adam Darcy and Harry Whitaker, RCYC, Ciaran Finnegan, WHSC, Alacoque Daly and Eoghan o'Buachalla, TBSC.

#SAILING NEWS – Stormy weather continues to frustrate early season sailing schedules. Wind and waves that produced spectacular trawler photos off Howth last week abated sufficiently to get Saturday morning's first ISORA race away and on Dublin Bay the second race of the Saturday afternoon series took place in excellent surfing conditions.

The strong winds have returned this morning though leaving anyone planning a trip across the Irish sea, be they coastal rowers, tall ships or dinghy experts, with a reminder about how rough things can get. From San Francisco, a survivor of the yachting tragedy there has spoken out about the need for tethering.

Yesterday afternoon the first race of the revised SB3 season on Dublin Bay was scrubbed and in other small craft news the Fireball class held its annual training clinic. Royal Cork Optimists are heading for Waterford in a strong position. A Portrush man is heading to Spain to defend his kayaking title and in rowing news Monika Dukarska came out on top after a battle with Afloat's Rower of the Year Holly Nixon.

And is adventure sailing a new tack for declining dinghy numbers?

All this and lots more on Afloat's home page this morning!

#OPTIMIST – Royal Cork Yacht Club Optimist sailors go into the second leg of the 2012 trials in Dunmore East in County Waterford in a very strong position next weekend. Four of the top five sailors are Royal Cork sailors after the first leg thus putting the Munster helms in a strong position to represent Ireland at the Optimist Worlds in the Dominican Republic in July.

Coaches George Kingston and Katie Tingle  report that alll 19 sailors performed exceptionally well under very difficult and tricky conditions in Dun Laoghaire at the recent Mistubishi Youth Nationals.

Racing for a huge trophy sponsored by the Estonian Consulate in Denmark Ireland's Sophie Browne has won the Consul cup after an intense period of practice at an  international Sailfast training clinic.

The 2012 Consul Cup was dominated by girls occupying the first seven places overall. Tralee Sailing Club's Browne seemed to have an extra gear throughout the three days of racing, scoring a total of 10 points out of six races before she could lift the massive trophy. The trophy was presented by the Estonian Consul of Denmark, Mr. Thomas Graversen.

Runner up was Lærke Graversen who won a tie with Cille Smedegaard who ended up third. 

Browne of both Tralee Bay and Royal Cork became the Afloat.ie/Irish Independent "Sailor of the Month" for January after taking the Silver Medal in the Girls Division in the Optimist Worlds in New Zealand. She added it to the Gold in the Girls, and fourth overall, which she won from an enormous fleet in the last major European regatta of 2011, at Palma, Mallorca in December.

On a beautiful unrivalled sunny Sunday, Monkstown Bay Sailing Club, Cork, held its first Open Day of the season for aspiring Oppie Sailors.  The Village could have been St. Tropez,  full of colour, with people everywhere  and conditions on the water summerlike and ideal for the purpose  of the youngsters getting a taste of sailing. Their enthusiasm and the happy sounds resounding across the water gave an indication of their enthusiasm.

#OPTIMIST – What is an Optimist dinghy?

The Optimist is, quite simply, the dinghy in which the young people of the world learn to sail writes Joan O'Sullivan of the Irish Optimist class

Specifications - 2.31m (7'6.1/2") long, 1.13m (3'8") wide. Weight 35kg (77lbs).

Easily transported on top of any car, safe and simple enough for an 8-year old, exciting and technical enough for a 15-year old.

Sailed in over 110 countries by over 150,000 young people, it is the only dinghy approved by the International Sailing Federation exclusively for sailors under 16 years of age.

Over half of the dinghy skippers at the last Olympic Games were former Optimist sailors.

The boat was designed by Clarke Mills in Florida in 1947; they first came to Europe in 1954 when a fleet started in Denmark.

Most parents find that sailing gives young people a great sense of personal achievement. In addition the skills required to improve sailing performance both on and off the water; it helps young people develop a more organised approach to other non-sailing related activities.

A busy Optimist start line at Dunmore East. Photo: Noel Browne

How many Optimists are there in Ireland?

More than 1,450 Optimists have been registered in Ireland to date.

At Optimist events in Ireland this year the fleet size varied between 120 at Regional events and 200 at our National Championships. International events can be much larger and at an Easter Regatta on Lake Garda in 2011 there was just short of 1000 boats.

How can I join a sailing club that sails Optimists?

There is a network of over 70 sailing clubs in Ireland and a network of commercial sailing schools too. The junior or dinghy sailing coordinator in each club should be able to tell you if they have an active Optimist class in that club. Your interest could be the spark that ignites an Optimist interest there and IODAI will endeavour to support clubs who wish to start an Optimist fleet.

Alternatively, contact the International Optimist Dinghy Association in Ireland(IODAI). This is a voluntary association, primarily comprised of parents of Optimist sailors, who organise events for the Optimist class. Iodai have a very informative, active website at www.iodai.com. If you contact the IODAI secretary directly, [email protected] you will be put in touch with an IODAI regional representative who will guide you towards a suitably active Optimist club.

What age should a child start sailing Optimists?

Some clubs do not provide beginner training under 9 or 10 years of age. However this is changing and you should check with your local club. See if any other experienced parent can suggest how a younger sailor might start.

There are plenty who start earlier and eleven or twelve is not too late - even to get to the top in the fleet.

Some considerations before beginning:

· Is your child a competent swimmer? (Competent means comfortable in the water when out of depth and capable of swimming say 25 meters in the sea water while dressed in normal clothing).

· Comfortable about the prospect of trying sailing? (The prospect of being alone in charge of a boat is often daunting to a young child and this introduction to the water is the most important step).

· Are there any older brothers, sisters or friends involved in sailing? This is often a great help.

· Is the child and are the parents prepared to make the commitment? There is a lot of time involved in junior sailing. Parents, remember, they can't drive themselves to training or events and they need lots of help ashore especially in the early days.

IODAI contact every sailing club from time to time to determine their level of interest in the Optimist class and to maintain an open invitation for any sailing club to seek assistance in the forming of an Optimist class at that club.

My child has done some sailing courses at our local club, what next?

There is a vibrant racing circuit in Ireland for the Optimist class.

Most clubs have a racing season which runs from late spring until the end of the summer, and they also hold their own annual dinghy regattas which normally include Optimist racing and are an excellent way to begin racing.

Once a child has done a little racing, they can look outside their own club. IODAI hold a full series of events specifically for Optimists; 4 regional 2-day events, the Optimist Nationals in August, Spring training week in Baltimore, and an Autumn training week. These events are open to children at all levels.

The Spring training week (13-17 February 2012) - 5 days training with a variety of coaches, national and international, and a mixed ability group of 150 sailors - is an ideal way to begin sailing outside the sailor's own club and for a child to meet other sailors of their own level.

Local club Junior Co-ordinators will have information about all Optimist events. The IODAI website is also a wealth of information for those starting out.

The Optimist dinghy is a simple and safe; designed specifically for young sailors. So, no matter what other boat a child has used on their courses, they should be able to handle an Optimist.

Are Optimists suitable for girls?

The Optimist provides superb one design racing where boys and girls can compete on equal terms. Yearly rankings often produce a 50:50 split between boys and girls. In 2005, 2006 and 2007 the Irish National Championship was won by Diana Kissane, from Howth Yacht Club who set a record by winning the title in three successive years.

In 2011, the Trials series (selection process for the year's international teams) was won by Sophie Browne from Tralee; the National Championships 2011 were won by Sean Donnelly from Dun Laoghaire, so boys and girls continue to compete equally.

How do they start racing?

As a Junior Class we have knowledge of helping sailors make the transition from "messing about in boats" to actual racing. This is where our innovative Regatta Fleet comes in.

Regatta Fleet Racing is for beginners and unranked sailors - usually from age 8 upwards. The focus of the Regatta Fleet is on having fun. There is a Regatta Fleet element at most major Optimist events except the Trials series.

The Regatta Fleet will could be your sailors first experience of racing. They can enter the Regatta Fleet once they have learnt to sail to windward and can negotiate a simple triangular course.

A typical Regatta Fleet day is usually shorter that the main fleet. Normally the format is coaching in the morning, a break ashore for lunch and then some simple races in the afternoons; the aim is to make the introduction as easy as possible. It's not taken too seriously and coaches are allowed to give advice during racing. If a sailor is towards the front, advice may not be necessary and the coaches will tend to concentrate on those near the back. While the Regatta Fleet focus is on training not prizes, some prizes are awarded, and it often proves to be the most charming part of the prize giving ceremony where we see very young children collect their first sailing trophy.

Regatta Fleet Racing at events gives the younger sailor the experience of doing circuit events without the pressures of racing way out to sea over long courses. There are often around 50 boats racing and it's their first introduction to the wonderful circle of friends that sailing produces for all of us.

Do we need to buy a boat?

Many sailing clubs have a small number of Optimists for rent on a short-term basis, but for anything other than very short term, it is best that your child owns a boat.

There is always an ample supply of second hand boats around. Check your local club notice board or if your club doesn't have an Optimist fleet, check with other clubs.

The most prolific market is on the IODAI website where there is a continuous flow of boats for sale on the 'Buy and Sell' page.

In relation to the New vs. Second-hand debate, experience shows that before boat-handling skills are acquired, the new sailor is likely to have a number of mishaps. For this reason, it is probably best to learn in an older boat that will not complain when it gets knocked about.

'Woodeners'? Generally there are no longer wooden Optimists on the Optimist Circuit although they sometimes offer an excellent bargain to get your child started.

The best advice is to ask a parent who has a reasonably current technical knowledge of optimists to 'survey' the prospective second-hand boat for you.

My club doesn't have an Optimist fleet, can we still get involved?

Yes, of course. There are many Optimist sailors who belong to clubs with no real Optimist fleet. It does involve a bit of travelling but there is always ample opportunity for training at Regional venues. The travelling isn't that bad and once you and your sailor meet new friends it will cease to be a problem.

While the Optimist calendar is a full one and parents/sailors may find the implication of a serious Optimist programme just a little bit daunting - the truth is that most young children (and parents!) find the experience lots of fun.

#OPTIMIST – 140 Optimist sailors, aged 7 to 15 years, from all over the country, descended on the village of Baltimore last week for the opening 'Oppi' event of the year, the Spring Training week writes Joan O'Sullivan.

The week-long event, organised by IODAI, the International Optimist Dinghy Association of Ireland, is a fun training week, and caters for all levels up to members of the national Optimist squad. For many it is an introduction to sailing and the world of the Optimist dinghy.

With the sailors come the coaches, and for Spring training coaches came from Irish clubs, but also from Sweden, Argentina and Spain. The coaching team was headed by Maurice O'Connell from Cork, and by Lola Resano from Argentina.

And with the sailors and coaches come the parents; the holiday homes of Baltimore were packed to the gills for the week as mothers, fathers and siblings accompanied the sailors for the mid-term week, and all joined in as volunteers on rescue, slip duty and catering so that the sailors were launched, coached and fed every day.

Events were arranged on an off the water; in the evenings there were castle tours, pizza night with the coaches, and a disco. For parents there was a rib driving course, a cheese and wine reception, lunch for the ladies, and a demonstration of how to rig an Optimist.

A highlight of the week was the arrival of the new RNLI lifeboat, Alan Massey, on the Wednesday, and the fleet of Optimists were invited to join the guard of honour to escort the lifeboat into Baltimore harbour.

The event coincided with a laser training week in Baltimore, and a 420 training week in Schull which meant that families could take sailors from other classes with them on their trip.

The event was extremely lucky as the wet weather which swept over the rest of the country avoided Baltimore, and sailors needed to wear suncream every morning. It was a week of intensive training, racing, and fun for our youngest sailors.

Joan O'Sullivan interviewed five young sailors (below) about their experiences in Baltimore

Iseult Hogan

Iseult, age 7, sails in the Royal St George Yacht Club as part of the Sea Squirts programme and has come to Baltimore with her Mam and Grandad to sail in the pre-Regatta fleet. She is the youngest child sailing in Baltimore this week. Her big brother Ben is also sailing; he is 9 and is in the Regatta fleet, and her little brother TP is only 5 so isn't sailing just yet.

It's been a fun week. Iseult fell out of her boat on the first day, and lost her glove on the third day but there is a lovely team spirit at the Spring training week and she got a temporary pair of gloves very quickly. Every day for the first three days the inside of Iseult's dry suit has got wet but she seems to have the hang of things now and is staying dry. It's all been part of the learning curve!

Iseult has been in Mary's group and they got their group photo on the Iodai website which was exciting. They were also part of the guard of honour for Baltimore's new lifeboat which arrived on Wednesday and there were news cameras around the place, and best of all, the Regatta fleet were back on shore in time to take a tour of the lifeboat.

Killian O'Regan

Killian O'Regan age 8 sails in Royal Cork Yacht Club. He is in Baltimore for the week with his mum and dad and he is sailing in the Regatta Fleet. His brothers are Cathal who is 10 and is sailing in the Transition fleet, and his brother Eoghan who is 13 and in the Senior fleet.

 

Killian did Baltimore Spring training last year; he sailed in the Regatta fleet in the Munsters in Tralee in 2011, did his ISA Level 1 in Schull during Summer 2011,and is ready to do more events in 2012. He sails in RCYC with his friend Conor who is here in Baltimore. After sailing is over, Killian goes home, has dinner, and then goes out playing rugby with his brothers and friends to wind down!

Conor Lee

Conor Lee turned 12 just before the Baltimore event. Conor sails in Galway Bay Sailing Club. Last year he won the first race of the Connacht regional championships in terrible weather and went on to win the Junior Silver trophy in that event. He also sailed in the Leinsters and the Nationals, and has made the 2012 Under 12 Squad which means he will be part of the Under 12 team participating in the UK Nationals in Pwllheli in August.

Conor has three brothers who also sail; Gavin and David are in the Regatta fleet this week in Baltimore, and his older brother Jack is sailing 420s in Schull this week, so Conor and his family are staying in Schull and driving to Baltimore every day.

When the Volvo Ocean Race came to Galway in 2010, the GBSC juniors did a 'sail parade' off the promenade in Salthill; Conor was part of that parade and it is one of the highlights of his sailing career. He is looking forward to the Ocean Race returning to Galway this year.

Cliodhna ní Shúilleabhán

Cliodhna ní Shúilleabhán began sailing when she was 9 years old. Her home club is Kinsale Yacht Club. She has an older Sorcha who sailed Optimists but is now sailing a Laser 4.7. Her brother Mícheal has just graduated from the Optimist Regatta fleet to the main fleet.

Cliodhna is part of the ISA Optimist squad who are sailing at the Baltimore clinic this year. Cliodhna had a great sailing year in 2011; she was third girl in the 2011 trials and earned a place on the Europeans team, competing in Tavira in Portugal. The sailing was great in Portugal, but so was the fun that Cliodhna had with the other Irish girls, Jil and Megan, and the girls from the New Zealand team.

Another highlight of last year was the Brassemermeer team event at Easter. A group of sailors travelled to the Netherlands to compete in the event, and Cliodhna had a great week with Alacoque, Chloe and Caitlin. It was hard to decide what was the best part of the event, the fantastic sunshine for the week, or the fact that Ireland won the team trophy!

Hugh Perrette

Hugh age 12 has just gone into the Senior Fleet. Hugh sails in the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire. His parents don't sail but Hugh went on holiday in 2007 to Adrigole in Cork, did a sailing course, and never looked back. Hugh sailed in the Regatta fleet in 2010 and last year sailed in the Junior fleet, winning a prize in the Junior Silver at the Munster championships in Fenit.

 

Hugh trains with the OPG, the Dublin Bay training group, during the winter and will compete in his first trials in April. He is on holiday for this week in Baltimore and spends his free time with friends Heather, Conor and Evie who are also from the National, but has also made friends on the circuit from all over the country.

 

#SAILOR OF THE MONTH – Sophie Browne of Tralee Bay and Royal Cork is Afloat.ie/Irish Independent "Sailor of the Month" for January after taking the Silver Medal in the Girls Division in the Optimist Worlds in New Zealand. She added it to the Gold in the Girls, and fourth overall, which she won from an enormous fleet in the last major European regatta of 2011, at Palma, Mallorca in December.

Sophie in action abroad in Palma (top) and at home

 

It's some going when you're just fourteen. Sophie is back at school now, trying to make up for lost study time. But if she gives it the same total dedication she put into each sailing campaign during recent years, she'll sail into a good leaving cert in due course.

Dedication is the name of the game, and the Browne family in Tralee are a byword for it. Normally, the adjudicators for the Sailor of the Month are very reluctant to make the award to the most junior helms. They grow up so quickly, there's something ephemeral about it all.

But even at only fourteen, there's nothing ephemeral about Sophie's success. Other kids may think too much about the glitzy side of championships, but Sophie Browne is well aware of the sheer hard work and unglamorous dedication which goes into that podium place.

After the big regatta in Palma in December, the European Optimist squad went out to New Zealand with high hopes. But the pre-Worlds and the Worlds were salutary experiences. Thoughtful observers were well aware of the rising talents of southeast Asia, and South America too, as well as New Zealand and Australia, but for most it was a daunting learning experience.

It's Singapore which is most clearly setting the pace. Kimberly Lim from the vibrant city-state was both top girl, and the new world champion. Sophie Browne was second in the girls, but was back in 13th overall. Yet she was still one of the best of the Europeans – the top British sailor, for instance, was back in 21st.

It's the first time a 14–year old helm has taken the monthly sailor title. We've had younger sailors sharing a title as crews on a Mirror dinghy, but this is the first driver. And we're certain sure it won't be the last we'll hear of Sophie Browne of Tralee Bay in international sailing.

#optiworldsnz – Tralee's Sophie Browne got no chance to improve on her 13th overall when the last race of the Optimist World Championships in New Zealand was abandoned yesterday due to lack of wind. The only Irish competitor in the 208-boat competition has impressed all week with a plucky performance that kept her inside the top ten of the world's toughest youth fleet until the penultimate day, when she dropped from ninth to 13th.

Although finishing 13th overall, she was second girl overall which earns her the girl's silver medal.

The result is being hailed as a major success by her club Tralee Bay Sailing Club, the first time Ireland has faced world championship competition for over four years. During the week Irish support for Sophie came from all over the world including her club mate, the offshore sailing star Damian Foxall currently racing in the Volvo Ocean Race onboard Team Groupama.

The 2011 World Champion Optimist Dinghy Sailing is Kimberly Lim from Singapore.

The Delta Flag was raised at 10.41, meaning that racing would start at 11.41. It didn't take the 210 sailors long at all to get out onto the water. The wind was very mild, around 10 knots, but the sun came back out again.

Protests from yesterday's racing had been processed and when the updated provisional results were published, there was a change on the leadership board. Ryan Lo had to give up his third position to Javier Arribas who was previously fourth.

The first fleet started the race at 1208, but all reaces were abandoned at 1308. The wind was too light for the strong current and sailors were not able to make progress around the course. At 1350 the Race Committee decided to start race 12 again, but at 1427 the very hard call was made to abandon all races for the day which means that the World Championships are over.

The provisional leader board (for the individual racing) after 11 races shows: 1 Kimberly Lim (SIN) 70 points, 2 Bart Lambriex (NED) 74 points, 3 Javier Arribas (PER) 77 points, 4 Ryan Lo (SIN) 78 points, 5 Francisco Ducasse (CHI) 87 points, 6 Ahmad Syukri Abdul Aziz (MAS) 90 points, 7 Wade Waddell (USA) 96 points, 8 Gabriel Elstrodt (BRA) 109 points, 9 Rodrigo Luz (BRA) 112 points, 10 Leonard Takahashi-Fry (NZL) 114 points.

All our coverage of the Oppy worlds in New Zealand here

#oppiewordsnz – A 14th and a 42nd scored in the penultimate rounds of the Optimist worlds today drop Ireland's Sophie Browne from ninth to 13th overall. Browne needs to move up ten points with a single day's racing left to sail in Napier, New Zealand tomorrow to secure a much sought after top ten result overall. Ireland's only contender at the world's top junior championships is the second placed girl overall in the 208–boat fleet, a magnificant performance for the Tralee 14year–old.

The Optimist World Championships saw wind, rain, fog and therefore poor visibility yesterday. It wasn't until 1350 that the decision was made for the competitors to go out on the water. The wind was 18 knots, it was still raining, and the swells were 2 metres high, but the event organisers were determined to complete three races.

Sophie started out with a solid performance and a fourth place. She continued to sail well and finished 14th in her second race but then slipped back in the third race ultimately finishing 42nd which resulted in her dropping to 13th overall on the leader board.